Category Archives: Europe

Location: Paris, France

Confessions of a Slacker Blogger

Hello, it’s me.

It has, inexplicably, been roughly one month since my last blog post. I wasn’t sure how this happened until I started mentally listing the things to write about in this entry. Since my last post, I’ve been skiing in the Swiss Alps, visited a place where the official language is Luxembourgish; met with European Council and Committee members in Brussels, and gone on a nighttime cruise of the Seine while in Paris. How is this real life? Since I’ve been so busy andI’m sure you’re all anxious to catch up, I’ll dive right in.

February 20:

Saturday was judgement day; the date of our long-awaited Alps trip! I can say that literally every time I had skied before had led up to this… to be honest when I woke up at 5 AM to catch the bus I had a moment of “what the heck are you doing?!”. I have been skiing 4 times in my life before, and now I’m about to ski down the ALPS?! In true Emily fashion, I shrugged and headed out the door. The group of skiers and sledders excitedly took to the bus and we marveled at the mountains which we were passing as we entered Switzerland, but it became apparent on the Bergbahn in Grindelwald that the weather would not be cooperating. Visibility was near impossible, as we got our ski gear on and headed to the slopes it was difficult to even see the people in front of you!

These near blizzard weather conditions made the Alps a little more reassuring for a skiing newbie, as I couldn’t see just how high up I was, or really how fast I was going. The only way to describe the weather was white. The sky was white, the snow was white, the air around us was white… it was a huge bummer that we couldn’t see any semblance of the gorgeous Alpine vistas that Grindelwald is known for. A huge sightseeing disappointment, however the fun of the day was unparalleled. I really impressed myself with my skiing abilities; I was able to keep up with my friends in the afternoon and go down the blue runs (easiest) as well as the reds (medium difficulty) all day! Not too bad for the fifth time on skis! I guess Slamans really are natural skiers.

It was nice to have a relaxing Sunday in between the Alps trip and our next field study to Luxembourg, Brussels and Paris. Since the weather was in the low 50’s with sunshine, I went for a hike with my friend Sean and tried to work out some of the soreness in my muscles from skiing before our 6 hour bus ride on Monday! Walking through budding Freiburg was a treat; it was a lovely preview as to what will be coming when spring fully arrives here in the next few weeks.

February 22: Off to Brussels (via Luxembourg)!

Early Monday morning we were off to Brussels and Paris for the week! We had 2 stops on the way to Brussels, the first was at the Saint-Avold military cemetery, which is the largest American military cemetery in Europe, and the second was in Luxembourg for lunch and a visit to the European Investment Bank. The stop at the cemetery was very sobering; it was amazing to see the Arlington-esque rows of crosses and stars of David headstones that lined the field. Humbling to think that sixty years ago American students our age came to Europe not to study, but to fight for their country and that most of them never made it back home. On a lighter note, seeing the American flag flying high and proud on the grounds brought a tear to my eye and a homesickness to my heart that I hadn’t felt before on the trip. It felt good to see the familiar stars and stripes overhead.

Lunch in Luxembourg was quick stop, and the talk at the Investment Bank was not as dry as I had anticipated. Did you know that the EIB funded the Chunnel (tunnel under the english channel between Britain and France) and the highway connecting Denmark and Sweden, as well as helping finance the Panama canal? I learned that at the Investment Bank!

Brussels

At long last, we arrived in Brussels on Monday night. Brussels, along with Strasbourg is a capital of the European Union, and the city definitely felt like it. Brussels felt a lot like Washington DC, which was a consensus among my classmates and I. Many young, international professionals working on an enormous scale: Brussels was a very promising city. Walking around dressed in our business professional attire I actually felt like we could run the world.

Most important in Belgium however, was the free time. On one sunny afternoon after our meetings, some of my fiends and I walked around the city and found a Belgian waffle truck in a gorgeous park, and stood eating Belgian waffles and watched dogs playing. These were the first friendly dogs I have seen since home (German dogs usually keep to themselves), so I did shed a tear when one jumped up on me in the park. No mom and dad, I did not take him back to Freiburg with me!

I feel like we really hit all the major points in Brussels: ate waffles, fries, mussels and oysters, and drank some famous Belgian beer while talking EU politics! And how could I forget the Belgian chocolate that was worth every euro? Brussels goes high up on my cities list after this trip.

Paris

Parîs! Ooh la la! Not my first trip to Paris, but every bit as exciting as when I first visited last summer. Paris is so huge that there was no shortage of things to do, even for a second time around. On Friday we had some discussions with foreign policy advisors and a reporter for Politico Europe, which was very cool, before getting on an evening boat tour of the Seine! Pictures along the Seine at night really didn’t do the city justice; you truly understand why they call it the city of light! After the boat tour, a few of my friends and I went to the Louvre before it closed to poke around and see some famous artwork. Afterwards, we enjoyed wine, crepes, and creme brûlée in true Paris fashion.

Saturday morning there was a tour of Versailles organized by IES. The grandeur of the palace is so amazing; it’s hard to believe that anyone legitimately lived there! The Hall of Mirrors is definitely my favorite part of the palace, and since the weather was nice we had ample time to explore the gardens before the bus headed back to Paris at noon. As soon as we returned to Paris my friends and I decided to visit the L’Orangerie, where Monet’s Water Lillies are. Monet is definitely my favorite artist, so seeing the scale and serenity of his original works was really something. Afterwards, we got hot chocolate at Cafe Angelina, which was literally molten chocolate with thick whipped cream to dilute the cocoa! On Saturday we also saw the Musee d’Orsay and the Catacombs before meeting up with other friends for an authentic French dinner.

Unfortunately, we left Paris early on Sunday morning. I would have loved to stay another day, since I didn’t have time to get to Notre Dame or the Champs d’Elyse on this trip, but the train tickets to stay till the night were too expensive. Freiburg is only 3 1/2 hours by train from Paris, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to do a weekend trip!

Just writing this post has worn me out, and I really don’t know how I’ll be able to recover for midterm assignments this week and next! The hardest part of study abroad is definitely remembering that you are still going to school, and not on a four month vacation, no matter how much it may feel like it!

Tschuss!

 

Sad Alpine views :(

Sad Alpine views 🙁

Some visibility going up the Bergbahn

Some visibility going up the Bergbahn

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Signs of spring in Freiburg

Signs of spring in Freiburg

Saint-Avoid military cemetery

Saint-Avold military cemetery

At the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium

At the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium

Old town square in Brussels

Old town square in Brussels

Neuhaus chocolate: original Belgian chocolatier!

Neuhaus chocolate: original Belgian chocolatier!

Brussels afternoon in the park

Brussels afternoon in the park

Belgian waffle!

Belgian waffle!

Eiffel tower!

Bonjour!

City of light!

Seine boat tour

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

Hall of Mirrors at Versailles

I see dead people: the Catacombs of Paris

I see dead people: the Catacombs of Paris


Location: Paris, France

Hot Chocolate

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Dark Sugars

I’ve done a lot in the past month and a half. I could write about all the crazy things I’ve done in London, my day and weekend trips, or my life at UCL. But for some reason I really just want to talk about one thing, and that is hot chocolate. I don’t know what happened, but my friends and I have somehow found ourselves on a quest to find the best hot chocolate in London, and maybe, the UK. It all started the chocolate store Dark Sugars in Shoreditch. I’m a chocoholic. It’s my favorite food. I eat it every single day. And I’m telling you this store changed my perceptions on chocolate, and possibly even MY LIFE. Maybe it was the insane

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Dark Sugars

 generosity when it came to free samples (and this store isn’t exactly cheap), maybe it was trying the raw cacao beans they have in store, maybe it was the pink champagne or gin and lime truffles. But their hot chocolate is a chocoholic’s DREAM. We tried just the plain flavour (but they had several spice flavors like cinnamon and chili). They take big blocks of dark, white, and milk chocolate and chop and grate it down, mix it with warm frothy milk and cocoa powder and put even more shavings on top. When you get about halfway done it turns basically to thick, melted chocolate. This store is truly my happy place.

While I’ve yet to find a hot chocolate in London that has surpassed the one at dark sugars, that hasn’t stopped me from trying to find one. The most memorable are as follows:

 

choccywoccy

Choccywoccydoodah

-Choccywoccydoodah, Soho: this place is insane–the vibe is a mix of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory, the tea party in Alice in Wonderland, and a Hot Topic. With a name like Choccywoccydoodah, we knew it had to be good and it didn’t disappoint. I got the dark chocolate and cherry hot chocolate and a slice of their six-layer taster cake. Need I say more?

 

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Chin Chin Labs

-Chin Chin Labs, Camden Market: I’ve heard that this is the best place in London for hot chocolate–while I don’t think it topped my Dark Sugars experience, I can definitely see why it has such a good reputation. The place gets points for location alone– smack dab in the middle of Camden Lock Market, one of the best street food scenes in London, and their Nitro ice cream is supposed to be phenomenal. Their hot chocolates were delicious and not too sweet, and the dollop of bruleed marshmallow fluff on top made my day.

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Mary’s Milk Bar

-Mary’s Milk Bar, Edinburgh. Okay, so this one isn’t in London, but I couldn’t not include it. This little place wasn’t far from our hostel in Edinburgh’s grassmarket neighborhood, and is Buzzfeed and Insta famous. They serve their hot chocolate as floats, with a scoop of any one of their homemade ice creams. They suggested the salted caramel. It was a good suggestion. The only thing I didn’t like about this place was their limited hours so we couldn’t come back and get it again!

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Said

-Said, Soho: This was a bit of a different take, but was still great. Served in an espresso mug, this little shot of chocolate was intense and super thick, and it tasted like drinking brownie batter. Heaven.


Location: Wc1x 0hd

Break part 1

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Catacombs in Paris

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Moulin Rouge

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Sneaked a picture at the Moulin Rouge

Last week I got the chance to go to a beautiful mass service at the cathedral in Montpellier. I couldn’t really understand a few things here and there, but it was definitely worth going to at least once while in Montpellier.

Now, school is officially out, and I was trying to figure out what exactly I would do with my life for 2 ½ weeks. Well, it turns out my mom came to visit me for a week. Our plan was to visit Paris for a few days, go to carnival in Nice, and then take a plane to Rome and tour around, eventually flying back to Paris.

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Eiffel Tower with my mom

Planning trips is not an easy task, that’s for sure. It’s really time consuming trying to figure out what time we should take the train, and what time we should check into the hotel, and so on. It’s been pretty stressful planning everything, but I have to say it is well worth the countless hours staring vigorously at the computer screen.

So far we have been only to Paris. I bought tickets to the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombs, and for the Moulin Rouge. I do have to say, time is precious in the city; it goes by so fast.

I was a bit nervous going into the Moulin Rouge for the Féerie show since I heard there was a lot of nudity, and the tripadvisor reviews were not so pleasant. I pretty much ignored everything the reviews had said and decided to try the show out for myself (After all, when in Paris…do as the Parisians). We couldn’t really take pictures instead the hall, or record anything during the show. I do have to say that there was a bunch of topless women dancers. Aside from the nudity, I would say the show was very well put together, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Today we are back in Montpellier gathering our stuff to leave in a few hours to Nice. Wifi will be pretty scarce, but I will be sure to post pictures of Nice and Rome!

Stay tuned for week 2 of break, as I will be traveling to Budapest, Slovakia, and Salzburg! Tout à l’heure!


Location: Paris, France

One Month Later…

I’ve really been slacking on my blogs. I know. I thought when I went to study abroad I would be blogging non stop, but I’ve been busier than I ever thought I would be. This is a big reason why:

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This is a map of every place I’ve been since I’ve last blogged. List wise, it goes like this: Oxford, Dover, Cambridge, Salisbury, Bath, Paris, Edinburgh, Melrose, Roslin, St. Andrews, Anstruther, Pittenweem, Glasgow, Luss, Glencoe, and Fort Augustus/Loch Ness–in short, I’ve been exploring England and Scotland and I went to France for a weekend. Whew. I’ve no idea how to go about describing all the incredible things I’ve done over the past month, so I’ll give a list of a few of the highlights.

-Scotland. Just Scotland. I hope to get a blog up on my week excursion up north soon, so stay tuned!

Dover

Dover

-Climbing the Cliffs of Dover: It may have seemed like maybe not the best idea to head down to Dover in January, but the weather that day was 100% on our side–which in England means any day that is over 40 degrees and not raining! We climbed along the tops of the misty cliffs and it was absolutely breathtaking! I still haven’t gotten all of the mud off my shoes though!

-Cambridge: Cambridge is simply gorgeous. The old buildings, the boats punting along the river, and the random professors walking around in full academic regalia is an amazing change of pace from London, even if it’s only an hour away!

-Drinking the water from the Roman Baths in Bath:

Bath

Bath

don’t worry, it was the filtered stuff at the end of the museum, not the algae-riddled water in the main pools. It certainly wasn’t great–something about the taste of sulfur and iron is generally not refreshing. Did I mention it was warm?

-Theatre in London: We saw the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Wicked in London’s famed west end–relatively inexpensive tickets are not as difficult to come by as one might expect in London!

Champagne at Louis Vuitton

Champagne at Louis Vuitton

-Paris: Paris isn’t a new city for me, but it was awesome to go with friends (and to get away from the pound for a while– it might not be great for the global economy but the state of the euro right now is great for a student budget). Croque monsieurs, steak frites, macarons, french onion soup, crepes, champagne, the Mona Lisa, and the Eiffel Tower at night is how I want to spend every weekend ever.

 

-Market Crawling: Old Spitalfields, Borough, & Camden Lock markets are a foodie’s paradise–aka my paradise. You can get full on samples alone, but it’s impossible to leave without picking up something amazing.

-Pub culture and Icebar: I’m really going to miss being able to drink when I go back to the states. Pub culture is just awesome, sitting back and enjoying a pint with friends is a great way to end a day. Some friends and I went to a bar in Soho called Icebar (I believe they have multiple locations), and everything inside was made from ice, from the bar itself to the cups we were drinking out of! A poncho and gloves were included, seeing as it was around 25 degree in there–but as chilly as it was, it’s still warmer than Penn State.

That’s all for now–cheers!


Location: wc1x 0hd

Marseille: Joie de Vivre

This week was pretty great since Mardi Gras was celebrated last Tuesday. I had the chance to go to the Mardi Gras parade in downtown Montpellier. There were a lot of dancers, instruments, and spectators gathered at the Place de la comédie. Apparently, Mardi Gras is not a big holiday here, although lots of people go out and drink. As I made my way to Monoprix, a chain market store, I noticed the alcohol section was entirely blocked off. It turns out that alcohol is not sold on Mardi Gras and other huge holidays since contributing to the drinking problem would not help when it comes to some inconveniences throughout the night.

Wednesday I finally had the time to take advantage of some “soldes,” or sales. These sales are usually from the beginning of January until around the second week of February. France, and other parts of Europe, usually have these sales that are similar to the “end-of-the-season” sales back in the US. I am happy to say that I bought what I needed and still managed to stay under my budget. Oh how I love soldes, but mostly shopping in general, but who doesn’t?

This weekend I got to go to Marseille with the entire group. The weather was pretty unpleasant when we left, which was around 7AM. The day did, however, get much nicer, especially when the sun came out. We got to see Marseille’s new museum MUCEM. We had a guided tour that showed us ancient religion, culture, and even architecture throughout the Mediterranean Sea and around the area now known as Marseille. My favorite part was taking the “petit train” up to Notre Dame de la Garde. We took a pretty good city tour of Marseille, which means I got some pretty amazing pictures and videos. By this time, the sun was fully out and the temperature was just right. I have to say that being at the very top of Notre Dame de la Garde was absolutely breathtaking.

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The old port of Marseille

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Mediterranean Sea

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View from Notre Dame de la Garde and the cool scope

This coming week is the last week of classes before our two-week break. I am extremely excited for the first week of vacation, as I will be spending it touring great places in Europe like Paris, Nice, Rome, and even Vatican City. As of now, I am in the midst of planning my second week of vacation hopefully in Budapest, Prague, and Eastern Europe. À bientôt IMG_6985


Location: Notre Dame de la Garde, Marseille, France

Current mood: in love

 “Sono andata da Firenze a Ginevra e ritorno!”

Just got back from a calm and relaxing weekend in Geneva, Switzerland (“Ginevra, Svizzera” … Can you guess the title?!) where I visited my Aunt and Uncle for the weekend. (Or, I suppose, grand-aunt and grand-uncle would be more like it!) Screen Shot 2016-02-12 at 1.40.41 AMI thoroughly enjoyed seeing Geneva and their home, flying over the Swiss Alps on the plane ride there, and then again gaping at the view of the Alps through their kitchen window! Unbelievable.

We also saw some beautiful neo-impressionist art by a Swiss painter named Signac, enjoyed Swiss fondu and delicious chocolate (“il cioccolato”), took those naps, and indulged in life convos over coffee, croissants, and oj at the breakfast table! This was definitely my favorite weekend by far!!! I also heard tons of French (“Francese”) and learned a little bit as well, but just enough to get me through the airport and back to Florence!

“Oggi a Firenze”

“Today in Florence” for my Italian class, our teacher met us at the Piazza della Reppublica to practice our speaking and listening skills. We introduced ourselves to random Italian people, and we asked them if we could interview them for our class! All in Italian! It was so much fun! The people we spoke to were all very gracious in helping us do our assignment. Today was also an incredibly warm and sunny day (“oggi”), which has been quite a change from the past few. It was so warm, I was even able to hang out on the front steps of la Basilica di Santa Croce. Church (“chiesa”) steps seem to be a common place for Italians to hangout.

Current mood: in love

I feel like all the beauty in the whole world is just being revealed to me, and I’m just standing here speechless receiving it all in my heart, feeling tons of emotions, and loving everything. I’m so little (almost too little to handle it), but so in love, and I can’t imagine ever going home! (“Ti amo Firenze!”)

At this stage in my study abroad experience, I think the song “I See The Light” from Tangled sums it up perfectly…

Chorus
"All those days watching from the windows
 All those years outside looking in
 All that time never even knowing
 Just how blind I've been
 Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
 Now I'm here suddenly I see
 Standing here it's all so clear
 I'm where I'm meant to be..."

And, the people I’m meeting? Incredible. A good friend (“la mia amica”) of mine named Annie told me today, “It’s never too late to have a childhood. It’s never too late to be who you are, and it’s never too late to add to yourself.” She’s had some inspiring life experiences working with kids at her day camps. She’s like the kind of girl you’d read in a storybook! Like, Merida from “Brave” or Rapunzel from “Tangled.” She’s a brave, brave girl with a kind heart and a wicked sense of humor! She also has a horse named Annie too, but purely by coincidence!

I met a girl named Rena, who’s like a sister (“sorella”) to me! We are so similar! And, Cici, and Megan, and Brian, and Heather, and Nick! Such adventurous and endearingly optimistic people. And Sara, my beautiful friend from Florence, and David and Andrea, who work at the cafe next door to school (“scuola”) and put up with me trying to learn Italian!! What a dream this is! It must be!

 

 

A lesson learned

Study abroad can be exhilarating and sublime, especially when all of Europe is suddenly at your fingertips.

It’s 5:00 a.m., and I can’t fall asleep. I’ve been living in Florence, Italy for exactly one month to date. After visiting Siena, Pisa, Venice, the Chianti region, and Rome, knowing I’ll be catching a flight to Geneva, Switzerland in less than 6 hours running on zero sleep, seeing Verona appear on the horizon (exactly one week away for St. Valentine’s weekend), and not to mention, taking my first Italian test today… I don’t like to admit it, but I’m pretty exhausted.

A glimpse of Roma

Last weekend in Rome, a bunch of great new friends let me crash at their place last minute when plans to Naples fell through. FullSizeRenderThanks to their incredible planning, we visited every single sight I had ever heard of in Rome plus some—the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Domus Aurea, and the Colosseum. It was one heck of a weekend, and I still can’t believe it happened. I owe it all to God. After all of this, by the time I finally returned home to Florence and walked past the Duomo toward my little Tuscan apartment, I was able to take in a deep breath and relax. I definitely got an “ahh, it’s good to be back,” kind of feeling.

A lesson well learned

So far, from the culmination of these experiences, I’ve learned a pretty big lesson. Even when everyone you know is constantly talking about going out of town because they “don’t want to waste a single weekend,” it’s okay to stay home. In fact, staying in Florence for a weekend or two (or three!) may be exactly what I need—to recharge my batteries and enjoy where I am! I’m absolutely in awe of this experience and it’s ephemeral feel, but I need to start listening to my body. (You may not hear this often, but study abroad can actually be stressful!)

I love the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas when he says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” It’s easy to forget, though, that this doesn’t mean I need to zip through the whole book in one sitting. It’s okay to relax, it’s okay to take things slow. And, it’s definitely more than okay to spend time marveling in the wonder of my host city. Heck, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! And, of course, “taking it slow” is the Italian way to go about things anyway. A new Florentine friend of mine, who helps me out with my Italian, joked tonight that her mom loves to take “5, 6, 7—10 years!” just enjoying a cappuccino!

As tired as I am, though, I’m definitely more than excited and “all in” as always to enjoy a weekend in Geneva with my Aunt and Uncle! I’ll finally get to see their city! I’m not sure how I’ll make it through the rest of the week with school and all, but I just know I’ll still have plenty of reasons to smile!

Looking forward to a blank itinerary “a Firenze!”

A presto!

Angela

Raclette, Beach, and Wine!

This passed week was a bit tough on me, emotionally. I have officially started to feel a bit homesick, although I have no problem being here since it’s so awesome! I had some good Mexican food, which I go to pretty often now. I am currently planning a trip to somewhere close (There are so many options!)

On Wednesday night, my host mom, Christiane, had told me we were having a dinner with her best friend Arlette, her host person, Christiane’s daughter Aude, and grandson Rafael. We had Raclette (which is a really soft, fondue-type cheese) with French Charcuterie (hams, bacons, etc.) and baked potatoes. When we sat down at the dinner table, Christiane brought out two black cirucular hot pans. Under these black devices, there were individual mini pans, where apparently we put the cheese so it melts. once the cheese melts you put it on top of a baked potato alongside your ham, bacon, and so on. You could also cook your bacon on top of the black pan. THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS! Raclette is my favorite French cheese so far, and this dinner was one I will always remember.

I did a very French thing on Thursday morning; I stepped right in dog poop. After speaking to one of my professors, apparently stepping in dog poop is a sign of good luck, which is really what I am looking forward to.

On Saturday morning I went to the Marché bio, which is literally a farmers market right by my house. According to my host mom Christiane, everything there is so overpriced, but definitely worth buying. I got to try some onion beignets and a fried ball that had chickpeas, curry, and potatoes. We also ran into some really vintage postcards, buttons, pins, and pictures (very pricy). Later in the day, I decided to go to the beach, since it’s about a 25-minute ride. It was very windy, but definitely worth the trip.

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When at the beach, always take your wine!

Update on my money: none. I haven’t found my missing money, but I have come to the conclusion that I probably won’t find it.


Location: Carnon Plage, France

Finding my bearings!

So far, I’ve been here for 23 days, and I’ve experienced quite a whirlwind of events.

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Italian Notes | Photo credit: Rena Kassak

Since I’ve last written, I’ve gotten into the thick of my classes and have fallen in love with the staff of ISI Florence. Professors here are a bit more laid-back than in the States. Our Italian Language teacher ensured us that we’re on the same level, and he made sure that we know we can go to him for help with anything at all during the semester! From my past experiences with college, which I carry solely from the U.S., this hasn’t always been the case. His heart is focused on helping us learn, and the same goes for my photography professor. Put simply, ISI Florence is taking absolute wonderful care of us!

Learning the language

I’m in love with the language here. It’s so beautiful. Today we engaged in conversations with four Italian speaking 20-somethings who visited our class; it was kind of like speed-dating! I speak “un po” (only a little!) Italiano, and they could speak a little bit of English. It was neat to see how well we could communicate.

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo!

View of Florence from the top of the Duomo!

Also, last week, I met up with a Florentine girl named Sara. We met through a language exchange website. She loves traveling and learning languages, and she studies English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. It was so lovely to meet her and to learn about Italy from her perspective! I very much enjoyed our conversation, which was mostly in English seeing as she speaks English better than I can speak Italian. And, not to mention, I am still a bit shy! (“Sono un po timida”)

Il Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore - View from Piazzale Michelangelo

A view of the Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo – In the last photo, I was looking out from the tippy top of this one.

We talked about the differences between Italian boys and American boys, indulged each other with stories of our past relationships, and bonded over a love of purity. She also taught me some slang words in Italian, like “figo,” which means beautiful but is used how we would use the word cool, and also its synonym: “ganzo,” which is only characteristic of Florence.

Wine tasting in Chianti

On a school trip to Chianti, we met Gino, a family-oriented man, who showed us the “sweetness” of life. The Italians’ mentality is much different than what’s common back home.

A view of Chianti from Gino's vineyard

A view of Chianti from Gino’s vineyard

“There’s no food without wine and no wine without food,” he said. Gino also emphasized the joys of taking things slow and really enjoying everything with all of our senses as not to get drunk but to enjoy the wine. “Wine is everything,” he said, it’s even where you are and the people you are with; “wine is life.” He advised us to drink good wine with good friends, and warned us to never drink alone. He also taught us that just because a wine is expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s a good wine! It could just mean that it comes from a very small vineyard. The only way you can tell if a wine is good is “with your eyes, your nose, and your mouth.”

Adventures in Siena

Last Saturday, I visited Siena! Signing up for the trip by myself, I wasn’t sure I’d know anyone there, however, a stellar group of kids, Heather, Brian, and Nick (Nick, who is actually in my buon fresco class) were there!

Screen Shot 2016-01-29 at 1.53.22 AMI had an amazing time spending the day with them enjoying the city view from atop the Cattedrale di Siena, stopping for gnocchi and “picci,” a thick pasta prized by Siena, and visiting the Church of Saint Dominic where we found the relic of Saint Catherine of Siena. It was so awesome to learn about her life right in her home city! Apparently people were drawn to her, and it’s no wonder since she was so drawn to Christ! Later that day, we ventured over to San Gimignano, a small medieval town with an incredible view that I could have easily mistaken as a painting had we been inside!

V for Venezia!

Then, of course, there’s the gorgeous city of Venice! With its waterways instead of streets and boats instead of cars, Venice is one of the most quirky places I’ve visited. We were able to catch the parade where the floats were literally floating (boats, of course!) And, we enjoyed what the Venetians call the Carnevale.

People wear all kinds of fun masks during the carnival!

People wear all kinds of fun masks during the carnival!

Venice is quite touristy, and I’d suggest going later on in the week to witness the carnival in full effect. We were unaware of this, and we actually made plans with a tour group in advance. The skies turned out to be overcast, and it was only the first day of the carnival–much too soon for the fun to pick up!

Although I met some great people on the bus, I ended up spending most of the day by myself. But, on the bright side, I got to check out the Chiesa di Santa Lucia, a church by the grand canal, where I saw the relic of Saint Lucy’s incorruptible head and visited the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord in a side chapel.

I actually didn’t get to go to mass on this day (Sunday), which was pretty upsetting to me. It was mainly poor planning. I’m still figuring out how to adapt to this life on the road because, at least at this point in my life, it’s so easy for me to get distracted. But, truly God is the most beautiful!

The not-so-wonderful truth

Although the travel life can seem romantic and glamorous from stories and photographs, I’ve been here for less than a month and as you can tell, I’ve already experienced a few bumps along the road.

  1. Crepes and waffle at La Milker

    Crepe and waffle alla nutella date in between classes! I don’t know how we made it through Italian class after this! Photo credit: Rena Kassak

    Pro tip: If you ever go to Italy please, please drink tons of water, and be weary of your dairy intake! I absolutely love picking up new foods from the market, especially cheese because it’s fresh, inexpensive, and we’re in Italy! So, why not try them all? (“perchè no?”) Well, just recently, I learned the hard way… that too much cheese and other dairy foods, like gelato, can actually cause constipation. (“Come sei dice embarrassing?”) Fortunately, a call home to mom, some prune juice, and laxatives really did the trick! Thank God!! I had no idea how painful that could be!

  2. Next? Well, I lost my cell phone one evening when taking out the trash. I would have gone diving in after it!!! But, the trash disappeared into the ground. They have some clever dumpsters here, and I didn’t even feel my phone slip out the moment it happened…
    Is this not the most beautiful motor vehicle you've ever seen?!

    Is this not the most beautiful motor vehicle you’ve ever seen?! Spotted near Firenze S.M.N. train station.

    Since the garbage company was already closed for the night, we had to wait to call in the morning. At this point, it was already compacted into a teeny tiny cube. I was able to communicate with my family and friends online, and my parents had mercy on me. Fortunately, I was able to replace the phone, and everything is semi-back-to-normal, if you can even call it that.

Despite the appealing aspects of travel, it definitely has its fair share of adjustments, ups, and downs (and there are even more if you’re clumsy!), but every single one of these has come and gone, and it continues to amaze me that I am actually here… Praise you, Jesus! And, thank you, Mom and Dad!

Next stop… Roma!

Hello From the Other Side!

I can’t believe that two weeks ago, I was lugging my 60lb suitcase up my flat’s five flights of stairs. My cab had just dropped me off, I received my keys at reception, and I began my first day of 180 in London. Since then the time has flown by, but at the same time I feel as though I’ve been here for months. I’ve made a great group of friends (including some fellow Penn Staters!), enrolled in classes at UCL (which was in no way a simple endeavor), and have been surviving without a meal plan (!) for the first time ever.

I live in Bloomsbury in the borough of Camden, which has long been the academic hub of London (you may have heard of the famous Bloomsbury Group, which included British intellectuals like Virginia Woolf and John Maynard Keynes). It’s a great area within itself, but it only takes a few minutes on the tube to reach popular tourist stomping grounds like Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and Soho.

University College London

University College London

University in England is more different from Penn State than I ever could’ve imagined. For one, British uni students only go for three years, and gen eds are a foreign concept all together. They’ve come into college knowing what they’re going to study, and then are given their classes (no waiting lists at all). The biggest difference, by far, is the level of independence that it expected of students. For most classes, you’re given a reading list of an average of 60 titles (including articles, books, and full textbooks) that you’re expected to read–there’s no homework or reading quizzes, but essentially how well you do on your assessments is tied to how widely read you are. My entire course grade (depending on which class) is based either on two 2,500 word essays or a single two-hour exam in May. For what will transfer as 16 US credits, I only have eight hours of class a week (and no class Fridays!), and I get a no-class “reading week” in February and four week break in March/April before exams (but after this break I also do not have any more class!). Ultimately, I haven’t decided if this way of operating stresses me out more or less than at PSU, but it definitely allows for time to travel around England and Europe. Because I have so much free time during the week to do schoolwork, I can fill my weekends and breaks with trips–and I’ve got quite a few on deck (stay tuned!)

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

So far it’s been nothing but a dream, and I have a harder time thinking about leaving London than I do missing America. I’m extremely grateful to my parents for supporting me while I’m on this crazy adventure of a lifetime, and it’s crazy to think that the next time I’ll be in America I’ll have lived abroad for almost half a year.

I want to take advantage of everything the city has to offer, because this will be the only time I’ll ever be able to live as centrally in London as I do now. I want to take advantage of everything that Europe has to offer, because I could never book a week vacation to Scotland from the US for less than $150. I want to take advantage of this adventure that I’ve literally been waiting my whole life for, and I want to be able to look back and say that I went to bed every night absolutely exhausted.

Cheers!

 


Location: WC1X 0HD